1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a low cost preformed retainer for securely holding a specimen in position during any of various imaging procedures including X-ray, CT, MRI and PET.
2. Description of Prior Developments
Laboratory research animals such as rats, mice and other rodents are commonly scanned and imaged with virtually every type of imaging apparatus available. During imaging, it is important to accurately position a specimen in an imaging field. It is also desirable to be able to repeatably place the same specimen in the same position over varying time periods to monitor various physiological developments in the specimen such as tumor growth and to duplicate and verify previous imaging results.
Prior positioning devices have been developed for holding specimens in place during imaging, however these devices are typically complex in structure and quite costly. What is needed is a low cost specimen holder having a simple construction which eliminates many of the complex structures found in prior specimen holders.